


In Freefall

by Foxtale



Series: Reunited [4]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Action & Romance, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:29:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24823120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Foxtale/pseuds/Foxtale
Summary: The team have to pair up to parachute into Midgar. Any guesses who Cloud picks as his skydiving buddy?
Relationships: Tifa Lockhart/Cloud Strife
Series: Reunited [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1769446
Comments: 6
Kudos: 94





	In Freefall

With Midgar under martial law, Cloud has to admit that sneaking into the city will be near impossible. So, he’s relieved when Cid ushers the team into a small loading bay at the back of the airship and directs them to a locker full of parachutes.

“If land’s a no go, we’ll go by air!” Cid announces. Then, with a lopsided grin, he pulls a lever and the loading entrance opens, like the jaws of a beast, to reveal the city below.

“Aw hell no!” Barret protests, slowly backing away from the opening.

Cloud, on the other hand, nods enthusiastically. “Ok then! We’ll parachute into Midgar.”

“This is all very exciting,” Red interjects, “But how do you expect the non-human members of the party to operate a parachute?”

“Don’t sweat it Red,” Cid answers, “We only got four, so we’ll all be flyin’ tandem.”

Cloud’s eyes drift to Tifa before he’s even made the conscious decision. A soft smile tugs at his lips when hers land on him.

“Right, let’s pair up.” He grabs a parachute and two harnesses. “Tifa and I will go together.”

“Shocker!” Yuffie teases.

Cloud tries to ignore the resulting heat flushing his cheeks.

“We should try to distribute weight and size pretty evenly. Uh, Barret, you pair up with Red. Yuffie and Cid -”

“I ain’t attachin’ myself to that brat!”

“Well I don’t wanna go with you either gramps!”

“Who you callin’ -”

“Fine,” Cloud cuts them off. “Yuffie and Vincent then. That leaves Cid and Cait Sith.”

“Yeah! My man, Vinnie!” Yuffie runs to him with their equipment, hand raised for a high five.

“Don’t call me that,” he replies bluntly, leaving her hanging.

She pouts. “Can I be in charge of the parachute?”

“No.” Vincent swipes it from her grasp.

“Aw, you’re no fun!”

Shaking his head, Cloud turns to find Tifa standing at the top of the loading ramp. She could be a work of art, with long hair flowing in the breeze as she looks out, her strong and graceful figure framed by the concrete jungle below. The sunset gleams off the metals in pink and orange hues, creating a dance of light and shadow on her pale skin. Cloud wants to capture the image in his memory and add it to the collection of moments she has taken his breath away.

“Sure is a long way down,” she mumbles, anxiety tensing her muscles as she takes the harness from him and steps into it.

“You nervous?”

“A little… but I wanna do it. I’m sure it’ll be fun once we get past the first part, and you’ll be with me so…” The words tumble out quickly until she realises her omission, eyes darting up to check his reaction.

Cloud nods, failing to hide a smirk. His chest swells to know that Tifa feels safe with him. And speaking of safety, she’s left the harness too slack for his liking, hanging on her hips rather than her waist. Without thinking, Cloud takes a step towards her and hooks his fingers through the belt, pulling it higher.

“Can’t have you falling out then,” he murmurs, tightening it on her slender waist.

Her _bare_ , slender waist. He hears a sharp intake of breath and lets go quickly, mentally kicking himself for his boldness. But when he looks up, he finds that Tifa's lips are curved into a shy smile, and the flecks of crimson smoulder in her eyes, like embers about to ignite.

Encouraged, he quickly assesses that the rest of the group is preoccupied, before bending to tighten the straps around her thighs, cursing his gloves for denying him the feel of smooth skin.

“And you’re right,” he tells her, feigning nonchalance. “You’ll probably enjoy it.”

“Mmhmm” she hums a high-pitched agreement, and Cloud isn’t entirely sure that they’re still talking about parachuting.

He straightens, holding the rest of the harness up like a jacket for her to thread her arms through.

“So… you’ve done this before?” she asks, fastening the straps over her ample chest.

“Yeah, once. Not from this height though.”

He gently moves her hair aside to fasten the final strap across her shoulders, pondering whether to elaborate. But his heart clenches thinking about his secret mission with Jessie and the guys, and he doesn’t want to upset Tifa by bringing them up.

“Ever the man of mystery, Cloud Strife.”

He chuckles. Maybe it would be good to talk about their fallen comrades? They’d barely had chance to grieve on their journey, and Cloud had learned the hard way that bottling things up didn’t help anyone.

“Ok, well… once this is over, I’ll tell you all about it.”

Tifa spins to beam at him, “I’d like that.”

“How do you put this damn thing on!” Barret grumbles nearby, trying to pull an arm loop up his leg and getting stuck at the knee.

Cloud rolls his eyes and goes to help him. He forgets sometimes, that the guy only has one hand. Though, that doesn’t quite account for the tangle he’s got himself into.

“I could also use some assistance,” Red pipes up, having found himself unable to progress from placing his paws in the loop for each of his limbs. Tifa jumps to his aid.

It’s an effort for Cloud to wrestle the bulky man into his harness. He seems determined to misinterpret every instruction. “Not your gun arm, your other arm,” he sighs, making Tifa giggle when he flashes her a despairing look. “You think you can tighten the straps yourself?”

“Uh, yeah, I got it,” Barret replies, quickly. “You ain’t puttin’ your hands around there, no way.”

“Glad to hear it,” Cloud mutters, quickly pulling on his own harness. Tifa appears at his back to help with the parachute pack. Then the pair give Barret a hand strapping Red to his front.

"You sure are heavy Red," Barret huffs.

"Well, I'm not built to be picked up like some house cat!" the poor beast complains, looking much less ferocious with his legs dangling uselessly.

Tifa makes sympathetic noises and teases him by scratching his ears.

Glancing around, Cloud sees that everyone else is almost ready; Cid making quite the picture with a stuffed toy cat strapped proudly to his chest, Vincent pleading with Yuffie to stay still while he attaches their harnesses.

“Can we go first?” Red asks, playfully batting Tifa away. “I’d like to get back on four legs as soon as possible.”

“Be my guest,” Cloud agrees.

“We gotta go first?!” Barret groans, “Man, I can’t believe I’m doin’ this.”

He waddles down the ramp, leaning back to hold Red’s weight against his chest. When they reach the edge, he pauses, muttering to himself.

“Just jump already!” Red sighs.

“Whatcha waitin’ for, ya nervous nelly!” Cid hollers, shocking them all by sprinting to the end of the ramp.

“Wait! I’m not ready!” shrieks Cait Sith, paws covering his eyes.

The ramp shakes as Cid dives off, causing Barret and Red to topple off after them in a blunder of protests and flailing limbs.

“Oh yeah! Gramps still got it!” Yuffie cheers, “Let’s go Vinnie!”

With an inhuman leap, Vincent launches them to the edge. “See you on the ground,” he shoots back in his smooth baritone, and the pair disappear into the sky.

“I can’t believe he still pulled off a dramatic exit with Yuffie strapped to him,” Tifa comments, dryly.

Cloud laughs, already standing behind her and hooking them together at their shoulders and hips. He tries not to be distracted by the subtle scent of vanilla and coconut on her hair.

“Ready, Tifa?”

When she nods, he wraps his arms around her waist and lifts, surprised once again by how light she is, despite her strength. Tifa curls her legs up while he walks them down the ramp and her hands clutch nervously at his forearms when they peer down at the sprawling city below.

“Don’t worry, I got you,” he whispers in her ear, then leans forward until they fall.

Feeling like he left his stomach on the airship, Cloud squints into the wind whipping past as they hurtle towards the ground. But when the adrenaline rush hits its peak, the sensation morphs into complete exhilaration. It’s as though the air is holding them in its invisible palm, creating the illusion of flight. Gradually, Tifa’s iron grip loosens and Cloud laces their fingers together to stretch their arms out. A small, bewildered laugh escapes her.

They hear Barret’s wail before they see him. Tifa reaches out to grab his hands in reassurance. When he looks up at them, his face splits into a cheek jiggling grin that even Cloud can’t help but return. Red howls his enjoyment and soon the whole team is together and joining hands in a small circle. Cloud looks around at his friends’ beaming faces with pride, reminding himself how lucky he is to have found this brave and brilliant band of misfits.

When the time comes, Cloud gives the thumbs up to deploy parachutes. He pulls the cord and his stomach lurches once again when they are yanked back with alarming speed. Tifa squeals, then dissolves into fits of giggles as they glide through the air. It brings a delighted grin to his face, pleased to hear her sound happier than she has for a long time.

“Enjoying yourself there?”

“Yes! Cloud this is amazing! Midgar actually looks beautiful from up here,” she gushes.

“Thought you’d like it,” he chuckles.

After a breath-taking tour of the city from above, Cloud steers them towards a Sector 8 playground, hopeful that the woodchip flooring will make for a reasonably soft landing.

“Knees up,” he advises.

The landing isn’t too hard. They skid a little, but come to a stop in a sitting position, with Tifa nestled between his legs. His arms have wrapped around her waist of their own accord.

“Are you ok?” he asks, softly.

“Yeah,” she whispers, breathless. “That was so good Cloud!”

Reluctant to let her go, he unclasps their tethers and is surprised when Tifa turns to remove his parachute for him. He leans back on his hands while she undoes the fastening at his chest. Then she hovers over him on her knees, eyes locking on his, as she moves closer to push the straps back from his shoulders. Cloud holds his breath, his pulse racing. Slow and hesitant, he inches toward those plump lips -

“Heidegger is after you all!” Cait Sith kills the moment, obliviously running over in a panic.

They turn sharply, Cloud dropping his half-raised hand as Tifa backs away.

“It’s dangerous out here. Come on, I know a way underground!”

Exchanging an awkward glance, the pair rise to their feet and follow Cait Sith to the rest of the group. Cloud glowers at him all the way. First, he cut their Gold Saucer date short and now this. For a fortune teller, that cat sure has atrocious timing.

**Author's Note:**

> Bit of shade thrown at Cait Sith at the end there, don't know where that came from! I love writing the banter between all the characters, especially Barret and Red. Cloud and Tifa are getting pretty close, now that he's healing and getting a fresh outlook on life. Maybe in the next part they will seal the deal :P


End file.
